Silicone elastomer gels and pastes impart desirable properties to a variety of formulations. They can be used as rheology modifiers or thickeners. In personal care formulations, they are often valued for imparting desirable aesthetics such as skin feel to a formulation. They may also be used to deliver actives to a surface. Silicone elastomer gels are typically prepared by crosslinking organopolysiloxanes to form a silicone elastomer in the presence of a swelling solvent. During and/or after the crosslinking step, the swollen silicone elastomer is sheared to create a paste. The paste can be subject to additional processing such as the addition of more solvent, inhibitors, or active ingredients and subject to additional shear to give a uniform paste. Silicone elastomers are most commonly dispersed in a volatile silicone carrier fluid to form gelled compositions. Representative examples of such silicone elastomers are taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,210, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,760,116.
PCT/US2008/67989 discloses silicone elastomer gels having greater compatibility with organic carrier fluids and organic actives of interest in personal care by crosslinking the silicone elastomer with a hydrophobic polyalkylene oxide.
While PCT/US2008/67989 provides silicone elastomer gels having greater compatibility with organic carrier fluids and actives, there is still a further need to incorporate aqueous or hydrophilic ingredients with these silicone elastomeric gels while reducing or eliminating the need to use additional surfactants or emulsifiers. Addition of surfactants and emulsifiers can limit formulation latitude and decrease aesthetics. Thus, there is a need to identify such compatibilized compositions that are stable when formulated as a personal or healthcare product. Furthermore, there is a need identify such composition having the aesthetic qualities associated with silicone elastomer gels.